«NoveltyKnowledgeBrainwave» is a consulting company located in Latvia, was founded in
the 2008. The main activity of the Ltd. „NKB” - providing consultations about opportunities
for business development, by attracting grants from the EU Structural Funds, especially
such as «HORIZON 2020».
Our team would be pleased to facilitate the submission of your project.
Do you need some help or qualified support on H2020? Feel free to contact us

вторник, 28 марта 2017 г.

EU investments create opportunities

Support to get projects off the ground, tailored grants and schemes available at all stages and ages of life, smart lending to trigger additional investments, targeted funding to modernise, develop and interconnect… The European Union is about opportunities that deliver concrete benefits, boost job creation and make a difference locally.

EU investments make a difference near you

EU investments trigger improvements that matter in our everyday lives: better education, modernised healthcare, greener energy, new transport infrastructure, advanced technology, are just a few examples. The results are visible in every town, every region and in the most remote corners of the continent.

The stories behind EU investments

Behind every EU investment, there are people's stories. Stories of new recruits, workers, farmers, self-entrepreneurs, school children, apprentices, beekeepers, researchers, merchants, students, transport users, artisans… They are best placed to tell about their experience. This platform puts the spotlight on a collection of stories that are happening in the EU right now.

RegioStars Awardsidentifygood practicesin regional development and highlight original andinnovative projectsthat are attractive and inspiring to other regions.

Think your project deserves to be known and rewarded? Then, submit it!After being selected by an independent jury, representatives from the finalist projects will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony. You might be one of the winners!

Finalist projects will be acknowledged throughout the selection process and during the ceremony. Winners in each category will receive a RegioStars trophy, a short video about their project and a social media promotional package.

Submit your project with theendorsement of the responsible Managing Authorityor let your regional or local Managing Authority know that you wish to participate.

To help you prepare your application, we provide the application form in Word format. However, as of this year,applications can no longer be sent in a Word document, but have to be submitted directly via the online form on the RegioStars platform.

четверг, 23 марта 2017 г.

The BRIDGE initiative, in which NOBEL GRID is member, has launched itswebsite, where visitors could find for each BRIDGE working group (Data Management, Business Models, Regulations, Customer Engagement) their public outcomes.

BRIDGE, established in November 2015, is an initiative from the European Commission which unites Horizon 2020 Smart Grid and Energy Storage Projects to create a structured view of transversal issues which are encountered in the demonstration projects and may constitute an obstacle to innovation.

Since 2016 BRIDGE has grown from 17 projects, involving 242 individual organisations in 23 countries, to 29 projects involving 332 organisations in 29 countries (five outside of the EU). The total EC contribution to all projects is €237 million.

BRIDGE gathers twice a year to share knowledge, experience, best practices as well as speak to the European Commission with one voice. The next meeting is scheduled on November 2017.

вторник, 14 марта 2017 г.

Renewable energy i.e. solar, wind and biomass, and energy efficiency projects account for 40% of the investments made through the SME Instrument in the field of energy. Top three countries include Spain, Italy and UK with most projects funded.

Looking at the country statistics, Spanish SMEs received €23 million for 69 projects followed by Italian companies amounting for €17 million with 49 projects. UK tops three with €12 million invested in 35 projects.

The total amount to be distributed between the SMEs working on 66 projects is €103.82 million. In this phase of the instrument, each project will receive up to €2.5 million (€5 million for health projects) to finance innovation activities.

Spanish SMEs were the most successful with 19 companies selected for funding. They were followed by five companies from both Germany and Ireland. Most projects are in the field of ICT and transport (10 projects each) followed by 9 projects in the field of low-carbon and energy efficient systems.

The European Commission received 1534 project proposals by 18 January 2017, the first cut-off date for Phase 2 in 2017. Since the launch of the programme on 1st January 2014, 641 SMEs have been selected for funding under Phase 2.

Funding under Phase 2 of the instrument allows companies to invest in innovation activities such as demonstration, testing, piloting, scaling up and miniaturisation, in addition to developing a mature business plan for their product. The companies will also benefit from 12 days of business coaching. Most projects are proposed by a single SME but some companies team-up to elaborate a project.

понедельник, 13 марта 2017 г.

It is no secret that the EU’s research programme, Horizon 2020 - with €77 billion of funding available from 2014 to 2020 - is a hit.

From the very beginning, it has been straining under an avalanche of grant applications and according to EU Research Commissioner Carlos Moedas, has now received as many as its predecessor, Framework Programme 7, which ran between 2007 and 2013.

“We’ve received 140,000 proposals already for Horizon 2020 – the same amount we received during [the entirety of] FP7,” Moedas told an audience in Brussels yesterday.

The statistic is one which should conceivably strengthen the Commissioner’s hand in negotiations for the next EU spending cycle, beginning in 2021.

The figure also provides plenty of proof for the Commission’s claims that applying for Horizon 2020 grants requires less effort from researchers than previously.

The downside, of course, is that with such hot competition, many more researchers are seeing their applications for EU funding fail, at a time when many national R&D budgets have decreased.

The success rate is low by the standard of research programmes, hovering between 12 and 14 per cent – a sharp fall from the average 19 to 21 per cent odds that researchers enjoyed under FP7.

вторник, 7 марта 2017 г.

We love to hear back from companies we fund - especially when they have great news! Innovative language learning platform Lingvist recently finished their Horizon 2020 project and, thanks to the funding, attracted additional private investment, most recently from global Internet services company Rakuten – to the tune of €7.2 million. Congratulations Lingvist!

Having received a €1.5 million grant in May 2015 from the European SME Instrument initiative, Lingvist has used the funding to develop its innovative language learning platform. The grant provided Lingvist with the resources to increase the efficiency of the software, bringing the app closer to its goal of making language learning 10 times faster. The programme also helped Lingvist expand its language offerings, creating new courses such as Spanish, French, German, Russian and English.

Horizon 2020 is the EU’s biggest Research and Innovation programme, with nearly €80 billion of funding available over seven years. The programme enables companies to focus on research and development, scale, and quickly produce tangible results.

"The Horizon2020 programme, via the ‘SME Instrument’, has been incredibly helpful in developing Lingvist. It’s been a great success for us, because it has helped us to continue working towards our goal of empowering people to learn. Working on a game changing language learning platform requires strong support from both public and private partners and we are very happy to have had H2020 as one of our supporters", said Mait Müntel, Lingvist, CEO.

Looking back on the partnership, Bernd Reichert, Head of Unit for Horizon 2020 SME Instrument, commented: “With the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument, we aim to support market-creating innovation in Europe. Lingvist is one of the first Phase 2 beneficiary to finish its project. Their disruptive project is a great example of the brilliant innovations we are funding. With their track-record of success, we are proud to count them among the top European innovators of our programme. They are certainly an exemplary success story of the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument programme!"

Representatives of businesses, industry, NGOs, and local and regional authorities are particularly invited to join the event on Wednesday, 31 May, between 10:00 - 16:00 in Brussels.

Draft programme

10:00-11:30

Information session - Part 1

LIFE 2017 call for project proposals – A new opportunity for green jobs and growth.

The EU's LIFE programme has been funding nature conservation, green technology and climate action projects all over Europe for more than 25 years. LIFE-funded projects have created profitable green businesses with sustainable jobs contributing to the emergence of a green jobs market. At this information session participants will learn about opportunities for project funding under the 2017 call for proposals on close-to-market environmental solutions, biodiversity, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

12:00-13:30

Information session - Part 2

LIFE 2017 call for project proposals - A new opportunity for green jobs and growth.

14:30-16:00

Networking session

Participants interested in applying for LIFE funding will have the chance to find potential project partners or seek advice from European Commission experts and National Contact Points in one-to-one meetings. Once registered to the LIFE side session, you will be invited to upload your profile in a matchmaking tool to help you find matching profiles and set up bilateral meetings.

Pitching your project is the essential step to get investors, angles, partners or clients interested in your brilliant idea. No doubt that you are already masters at this, but it's always useful to have more insights from the the people who listen to this all day long as their jobs. Here are a few tips and tricks we gathered from top investors at the SME Instrument Innovators Summit to make your pitch worth the elevator ride.

1. What are investors really looking for?

Here's a list of must-haves to get investors' confidence:

Ability to recruit

This means that you're managing your money well and that growth isn't just a wish but an actionable goal

A skilled team

Possible investors will be asking you: "Are they good enough to become market leaders? Will this team's soft and hard skills be enough to take this startup to another level?" It's crucial to highlight your team's strengths as early and as well as possible.

Underlying market growth

Is this SME a game changer? Is it going to enhance its market? If you answer "Yes" to both questions, make sure investors know that!

A scalable business model

If your business has the potential to multiply revenue, expand to different markets or even travel to new locations, mention it and explain how!

A solid financial plan

You might have a great idea, but that isn't enough. You need a plan that includes fixed and variable costs, projection of profitability, key resources, and all other financial details that are important for potential investors. A financial plan will help you describe concretely how you will implement your vision and goals.

Long term value

Will the company's health and well-being last in time? Don't skip this step when talking to an investor and your company might just be the one they invest in

2. Prepare your pitch? Answer these 3 questions

The magic recipe to deliver a good pitch is to keep three questions in mind. Keep your answers short and simple so that the messages are clear to your audience.

What are you selling?

Whoever is listening to you needs to understand, in a few seconds, what is your business and what you are selling? Be straight forward and brief.

What are your customers?

Show that you have done propoer research on your market. Who are you selling your product to? Why do they need this?

Why should they pay for it?

What need or problem are you solving by bringing your project on the market? If by now your audience is convinced…this will be the validation that your project is amazing. Again: keep it short and simple.

3. How to take your pitch from good to amazing

If you're making money, you should mention it!

If you have investors among your audience, this is even more crucial! They need an answer to this question: is this worth investing in? Let the numbers speak by themselves. Use figures!

Accept thatscripting the presentation doesn't work for everyone.

Sometimes you should go with the flow and be genuine. Prepare yourself beforehand nevertheless (you can try practicing in front of other people before) and make sure you stick to your timeframe.

Engage with the audience

You want your audience to give you all the attention. Look at them. Ask questions, note who is resisting, and look for nods when presenting an idea.

Use storytelling

If your product is too technical and there's a high probability of being completely unknown to 99% of your audience, just tell a story. Putting products in real life situations helps to keep the audience engaged.

Prepare as much as you can for Q&A.

Prepare for trick questions and enquiries for more information. If you don't know the answer - don't give a blurry response. Just let the audience know that you haven't approached your work from that perspective.